Mental Status Exam Flashcards
(21 cards)
MSE Components
- General
- Behavior
- Motor
- Mood
- Affect
- Thought Process
- Thought Content
- Associations
- Speech
- Language
- Cognition
- Fund of Knowledge
- Memory
- Orientation
- Concentration
- Insight
- Judgment
General
- General appearance
- Grooming
- Dress - casual, scrubs, gowned, disheveled
- Eye contact
Scrubs = possible safety risk or flight risk
Behavior
Level of cooperation
(Cooperative, superficially cooperative, uncooperative)
Motor
- Movements (increased/decreased)
- Agitation
Mood
Internal subjective feeling
(e.g. How patient feels; typically in quotes)
Affect
Interviewer’s experience of patient
- Full range
- Restricted
- Constricted
- Blunted
- Flat (rare)
- Bright
- Congruent/incongruent
- Inappropriate to context (congruent but disturbing)
Constricted vs. restricted affect
- Constricted: volitional reduction in expression range and intensity
- Restricted: reduction in expression range and intensity
Thought Process
Rate, organization, goal orientation
(e.g. disordered)
- Adult normal: goal-oriented
- Child 12 and under: concrete thinking
Thought Content
- Obsessions
- Delusions (e.g. paranoia)
- SI/HI
- AVH
Associations
How thoughts are linked together
- Intact, logical, linear:
- A → B → C → D
- Circumstantial - eventual return to original point
- Loose - Nonsensical, can be somewhat organized
Speech
- Rate (e.g. rapid, scanning)
- Rhythm (e.g. disjointed)
- Volume (e.g. loud, soft-spoken)
- Tone (e.g. positive inflection)
- Articulation
- Spontaneity
- Interruptible vs. pressured
Language
Symbolic understanding and use of words/vocabulary
Cognition
- Proverbs
- Serial 7s
- Spell “world” backwards
Fund of Knowledge
Expected knowledge compared to peer group (e.g. average for age)
- Name the past 3 presidents of the United States
Memory
Recent, remote, working memory
Orientation
Person, place, time, situation
(Oriented x4)
Concentration
Ability to stay on task
Insight
Understanding of current state
(intact, good, fair, poor, absent)
Judgment
Ability to make decisions
(good, fair, poor, impaired, severely impaired)
Flight of ideas vs. Racing thoughts
- Flight of ideas: an association of disconnected thoughts which can be racing
- Racing thoughts: increased speed of thoughts
Mood vs. Affect
- Mood: What they say (internal subjective feeling)
-
Affect: Interviewer’s experience of patient
- Facial expression
- Body language
- Tone of voice
